Page 71 of The Seeker
They stopped at the hotel and Rhys jumped out of the truck, not even looking back as he walked to his room. He said nothing to either of them.
Meera leaned against the truck and stared up at the moon as Roch came to stand beside her.
“I can guess what that’s about, and I can’t say I envy him.”
“Thanks so much,” Meera said. “Your support as a friend is noted.”
“Hey,” he said. “If I’m guessing correctly what Rhys was hollering about, then I have no sympathy. Singers hold all the cards when you’re talking about finding yourreshon.”
“But how do you know?” she asked under her breath. “For sure? How do you know?”
“Meera…” He gave her a little smile. “You know.”
She knew. After the sound of his voice in her most vulnerable state, she no longer had any doubt. But what did that change?
She said, “I have been told my whole life who and what I’m supposed to be. And now it feels like heaven above is conspiring to rob me of the one thing I’m supposed to be able to decide for myself.”
Roch gave a hard laugh. “Me, myself, and I. Do you even hear it?”
Meera blinked. “What?”
“Meera, I love you, girl. You’re a hell of a woman and a good friend. But you can be self-centered as shit sometimes. No one blames you. You carry an enormous burden, and your life has been prescribed down to the minute. But have you thought about his side? About what caring for you means for a scribe like Rhys? It’s not gonna be rainbows and dancing. All people come with baggage, honey, but you come with a whole damn luggage store.”
Meera was speechless.
“Maybe a luggagemuseum,” Roch mused.
“Thanks.”
“But he’s still around. He knows who and what you are, and from what I can see, he hasn’t backed off. That ought to tell you something right there. Now imagine, on top of all that, there’s this one thing every scribe dreams of, and it’s wrapped up in a person who is hell-bent on keeping her walls up, and she won’t even give you a straight answer so you know which way is up.”
Meera looked back up at the moon.
“He wants you for you,” Roch said. “Look past your own fears and know that, because I can see it clear as day. Don’t be a contrary little shit just because it’s not something you thought up yourself.”
She knew he was right, but Meera still bucked against the sense of inevitability. “It’s not that I object to him. I just…” She frowned. “I wanted to choose.”
“There’s nothing stopping you from that,” Roch said. “It’s always gonna be your choice.”
“It doesn’t feel like a choice. It feels like a surrender.”
“Oh, my girl.” Roch smiled. “There’s so much beauty in surrender when you have a fine place to fall.” He pushed away from the truck. “You better get some sleep. Don’t decide anything tonight. Your emotions are all torn up after whatever that was in the forest. Speaking of which”—he leveled a hard look at her—“we’re gonna talk about that tomorrow, and you can count on that. I don’t even know what was going on there, but I know that was some very big magic.”
“Roch—”
“Not tonight. Get some sleep. I’m all outta wisdom for the day, and I need to go call my woman.”
“Tell Sabine I said good night.”
Roch gave her a short salute, then turned to walk inside.
Chapter Thirteen
Rhys called Malachi as soon as he closed the door. Before his friend could even say hello, Rhys blasted him with the question that had been plaguing him for days. “Why are women so completely bloody maddening?”
Malachi paused. “So I’m guessing you’ve come across some roadblocks in the mission.”
“The mission is going fine, but this woman.” Rhys had to pause and take a deep breath. “The arrogance, Malachi. The stubborn arrogance.”
